A Mirkwood Winter
by P.L. Wynter
Summary: Spending an entire winter in Mirkwood turns out to be more work than Glorfindel ever imagined. WIP
1. Plans

**Hey all! I got such a great response for the last story that I thought I'd try my hand at another one. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as the last one. I'll try to keep up with it the best I can, which shouldn't be too hard because right now it's all plotted out in my head, for the most part. For all you Elrond lovers, don't you worry. Though Elrond may not be going with the others to Mirkwood, he will still be in this story. Unfortunately for you Celebrian lovers, she has already sailed in this story. I'm still working up the courage to write that story. Maybe one day I'll be able to write it. But for right now, I like focusing on young Legolas. **

**For those of you who asked for it last time, I'll give it to you again this time. Here's the ages of the children in human years give or take a few. **

**Legolas -10**

**Elladan/Elrohir- 19**

**Luthin - 19**

**Idrial - 20**

**Kelderas - 23**

**Arwen - 11**

**Those are just for your own reference. That's about how old they act look, but they may act older, or younger in the twins' case. :-D **

**Love ya all and I hope you enjoy!**

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_The balrog clung viciously to his hair. It's claws entwined in the golden tresses as it's firey mass slipped over the edge of the unending darkness. He struggled desperately to reach out for something, anything to hold onto as the balrog tugged him down into the depth of an embodied darkness. Pain flared up all around him as his skin was turned to ash, crisp and black. The smell of burning flesh consumed him and became all he knew beside the pain. _

_He'd failed them. He'd failed them all. He saw the horrified faces of his friends, fellow warriors as they watched him tumble away. Screams pierced his ears and he realized that most were his own. Dignity shattered away and he cried wantingly to live. Death was not supposed to happen, not like this. _

_It hurt. _

_The pain._

_So real._

_The dark…_

Glorfindel sat up quickly, his hand bringing out the knife he kept beneath his pillow. He stared for a few minutes at the shadows that surrounded him before he finally relaxed, realizing he was safely within the walls of Imladris. He was home. He put the knife back and ran a hand over his face.

It had been a while since his nightmares had turned that bad. He'd gotten used to seeing the creature of flame and shadow in his dreams, but they had been recently receding in frequency and content. This nightmare had been horrid, like they had been when he was just a child, remembering the details for the first time.

Swinging his legs off the bed, Glorfindel knew that he would find little sleep this night. He pulled on a night robe and went to the balcony. The cool night's air brushed his hair back from his neck and he looked out upon the forests of Rivendell. It was beautiful here. It was a home he cherished much in. Whenever the nightmares stole away his dreams, he could look upon the landscape and be soothed. But for some reason, his mind was working against him this night and not even the beauty of Rivendell could calm down his racing heart.

"You're up early," came a voice from the door. Glorfindel didn't have to look to know it was Erestor, Elrond's advisor. The other elf's presence made Glorfindel smile. Erestor had a way of always showing up when you least wanted him to.

"I could say the same about you," Glorfindel replied as Erestor came to stand next to him. He glanced over at the dark haired elf and found that Erestor was fully dressed and looked to already be working. The advisor had his hands entwined behind him and he gazed out at the tree tops.

"I'm used to this hour of the day," Erestor said. "The rest of you sleep late, so you don't notice." That brought a smile to both their faces. They were quiet for a moment more before Erestor bowed his head and turned it slightly to look at Glorfindel. "Dreaming again?" he asked softly.

Glorfindel pulled in a breath and contemplated telling Erestor everything. He wanted to tell him that it had been the worse one since he was an elfling. But he restrained himself and answered with a mere nod. Erestor acknowledged it by smiling and placing a hand on Glorfindel's arm. The two stood in contemplative silence for a moment before Erestor finally changed the subject.

"The twins have been fairly inactive as of late," he started. Glorfindel smiled at that. "I am fearing their next move."

"Perhaps they have finally grown out of their childish ways?" Glorfindel gave, already knowing the response it would gain.

Erestor snorted and huffed. "That would be the day!" He shocked. Glorfindel chuckled slightly at having ruffled Erestor's feathers, but silently appreciated the other elf's attempt at lightening the mood. "They are up to something, I am just not sure what yet. There was a time when I looked forward to the day they put away their pranks. But now I feel it is what keeps this family going. If not for their antics…" Erestor trailed off.

Glorfindel didn't need Erestor to finish. They both knew what would have transpired. A few years ago, Lady Celebrian's traveling party had been attacked by orcs. It had been days before they had found her, barely alive. Elrond had brought her back to good health and for a while they thought things would be better. But the damage had been done and only months after the incident, Celebrian had sailed. Things had been rocky for a while, but eventually they had moved on.

"The twins and Elrond must have both taken lessons from the Mirkwood royal family," Glorfindel said gently.

Erestor nodded. "I believe they did." Erestor turned towards the door. "It is time for me to get back to work." Erestor clapped Glorfindel's shoulder before leaving. Glorfindel was left with his thoughts. He thought of Celebrian and how much she was missed in all of Rivendell. And though there was a great sadness for her missing presence, there was also a certain joy of knowing that she had sailed by her own will instead of by the cruelty of death.

Glrofindel's thoughts traveled to Mirkwood. The two families had visited each other often at first. But recently, their visits had slowed. They all had other things to occupy their minds. The darkness in Mirkwood was still growing, but at a less alarming rate. Kelderas was courting a maiden and there was no doubt they would be bonded soon. Luthin had been promoted to lieutenant of a patrol. Idrial had invested her time in diplomatic visits to settlements outside of Lasgalen to restore the trust the people of Mirkwood had in its royal family. And Legolas. Legolas had started to take archery lessons and was apparently excelling at them quickly.

The thoughts of Mirkwood made Glorfindel long to see the royal family. He wondered if he could slip away for a few days to visit his friends.

And as a screech bellowed through the hallways, followed by two sets of guttural laughter, Glorfindel knew that Elrond would insist on the company of two identical guests.

* * *

After Erestor had chastised the twins and lectured them about the importance of giving someone proper warning before 'accidentally' pouring ice water over their heads, everyone had found their way into the dining hall. Glorfindel sat quietly during his meal, feeling tired and bored. The twins bickered quietly to each other, every once in a while shooting glances towards where Arwen sat next to her father. She had come home for a while to be with her family near the anniversary of Celebrian's sailing.

Elrond sat quietly at the head of the table, chatting with Erestor about stately matters.

Glorfindel decided he would announce his plans now. "I was thinking of going to visit Mirkwood for a while," he stated out loud, looking Elrond in the eye, hoping his friend would see the reasoning without having to ask.

Elrond looked back at him, but had no chance to respond before the twins responded for him. "What a wonderful idea!" Elrohir exclaimed. "It's been a while since we've seen our dear Mirkwood friends." The younger twin grinned as Glorfindel glared at him.

"Ah, yes," Elladan broke in. "A visit to Mirkwood would be a nice reprieve from the stuffy halls here." Elladan's eyes moved towards Erestor, who huffed at the motion.

Elrond turned to address the twins but was interrupted again. This time, by Arwen.

"I still haven't been to Mirkwood," she pouted. "I met the royal family once before, but I'd like to see their home." She turned her dark head towards Elrond. "Can't I go too, Ada?"

Elrond leaned back in his chair, looking exasperated. "I can tell there will be no arguing it." Elrond stated, looking towards Glorfindel. "You would have to make your visit short, a few days only. The winter storms will surely close off the High Pass soon and unless you want to spend the full of winter in Mirkwood…"

"I wouldn't complain!" Arwen beamed, grinning at her father.

Glorfindel raised his eyebrow. "I could only guess the amount of days that would pass before you would be utterly bored, Arwen." He responded.

"Nonsense!" Arwen countered, her smile not faltering in the slightest. "Legolas told me about all the things to do in a Mirkwood winter. Snow fights, ice wars, and he says the best part is when the pond freezes over. You can walk over it and not fall in!"

"An entire winter would give us ample time to build a fortress," Elrohir said, turning to his brother. "A decent one this time instead of that shackle of a fort we built last winter."

"That shackle held up through some tough storms," Elladan argued.

As the twins and Arwen talked about the joys of winter, Elrond turned and leaned in to his friend. "Do you suppose you could manage these three elflings?"

"Aye," Glorfindel smiled. "These elflings are of no trouble to me. And worry not, we will make it back before the High Pass closes."

"Elflings?" Elladan and Elrohir shocked at the same time. "Adar, we are as old as Luthin is and he is already a lieutenant in his army. It's not us you should worry about. Arwen is the only elfling here."

"Am not!" Arwen yelled and gnarled at them. "You two act more like elflings than I ever have."

"I'll be able to handle them," Glorfindel reassured Elrond, who was looking skeptical, as the twins and Arwen continued to bicker. Elrond smiled back at his friend and for some reason, Glorfindel saw in Elrond's eyes that the elf lord knew his reasoning for wanting to go. Glorfindel nodding acceptingly as he stood. "Well go and get ready then," he said, his tone of voice commanding. "We're leaving in a hour and if you aren't ready I'll leave without you."

Elladan and Elrohir rose while Arwen excused herself from the table and ran happily towards her room. On the way out, Glorfindel heard Elrohir whisper to Elladan, "I hate it when Glorfindel turns all elf-captain." He chuckled to himself.

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**Chapter two will be on the way shortly! I hope you like it so far. Show me those reviews, they are what keep me writing this stuff!**


	2. Teasing and Snowballs

Chapter Two

"Shh, quiet Saeros!" the young elfling, Daeron, whispered harshly. "You are as loud as an orc!"

"Am not!" Saeros, a small blond elfling whispered back, though his voice had rose at the accusation.

"Shush!" Legolas whispered to the both of them, putting a finger to his lips as a scowl crossed his face at the both of them. "Be quiet," he reprimanded of his friends and pointed towards the bushes that were in front of them. The three elflings crouched low and peered through gaps in the snow covered branches of the bush. They could make out two figures clearly and a hush whisper of a deeper, masculine voice. Legolas motioned for his friends to crawl closer.

As the three leaned closer, the whispers started to be made clearer. Legolas and his friends had to suppress their giggles as they figured out what was being discussed.

"My Adar says I could not have made a better decision when it comes to love," a feminine voice whispered. The figures leaned together and kissed lightly. Their arms wrapped around each other. "Though I think perhaps a husband not quite so handsome would have done better," she chuckled to herself. "then I should not have to worry about some ellyth coming to steal him away."

There was a laugh and the other whispered to her, "You will not have to worry about that," he kissed her cheek. "I prefer the maidens with child bearing hips," he pinched her sides and she let out a giggle and slapped his hands away.

"Kelderas!" She scolded, her face blushing. "One day I may take your jesting to heart and run off with a younger elf. Perhaps your brother…" She laughed at his look of horror. "Kidding only," she laughed.

"Do not joke of such things, Arminas!" Kelderas admonished. "Legolas is far too young."

At that, Daeron and Saeros turned wide eyes to Legolas, who was blushing intensely. The young elfling tried to think of something to say, but ended up clearing his throat instead, causing both Kelderas and Arminas to look their way. At first, the elflings didn't move, thinking they wouldn't be spotted. But when Kelderas rose, his face scrunched into a glare, Daeron and Saeros stood and ran. Legolas stood, and said, "I…we…bye!" Legolas took off after his friends, hurrying to catch up with their fleeing forms.

When they reached the edge of the woods, the three elflings were breathless with laughter. Saeros fell to the ground, holding his stomach while Daeron walked over to Legolas and clapped him on the back. "Well, what are you going to do now that you know Arminas loves you?"

Legolas rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She doesn't love me. She was teasing only."

"My Ada says that when girls tease that means they love you!" Saeros chimed in from his place on the ground. Legolas frowned, his mouth quirking to the side.

"But she wasn't teasing me. She was teasing Kelderas." Legolas protested.

"That doesn't matter," Daeron answered, sitting down on a root against a tree and lacing his hands behind his back. "She was teasing about you, and that means she loves you." Daeron crossed his legs at the ankles and a smug look came to his face. "I was teased once, you know."

"You were?" Saeros asked, sitting up and looking at Daeron. Legolas stood, giving them both unbelieving looks.

"I was," Daeron nodded.

"By who?" Saeros asked, scooting closer.

"By Nellas."

"That's ridiculous!" Legolas protested, shaking his head. "She teases us all." He went to sit down beside Daeron, mimicking his friend's lazy posture. "Besides, I don't think that teasing has anything to do with love, no matter what your Adar says, Saeros."

Saeros looked mildly offended by Legolas' comment. He pulled some snow into his hands and molded it into a snowball, his nose upturned. "Well my Ada should know," he countered. "He bonded with my Naneth because she teased him." Saeros said in a matter-of-fact voice. "So that proves it."

Legolas was about to protest more when suddenly a snowball hit him in the chest. He gasped, startled by the sudden attack, but when he looked to see who had thrown it, he knew a battle was about to break out. Nellas, a blond ellyth and their good friend, stood with a snowball in her hand. She wore a winter tunic over a skirt and the wind was blowing her hair. Legolas took in her sight. All that talk of love and teasing had gotten Legolas thinking. If there was one person he never minded being teased by, it was Nellas. And if teasing meant love, then he supposed he loved Nellas. She had, after all, thrown the first snowball of the winter at _him_.

Though he was slow to react, for Saeros already had a snowball in hand. He stood up and with a war whoop, hurled it through the air. "It's war!" Daeron yelled, gaining his feet and following example. Legolas was disappointed that he wasn't the first to retaliate, but soon joined the others in the full out war of snowballs.

* * *

The snowball fight lasted for a couple of hours before the tired elflings decided to call it a day. Daeron and Saeros waved goodbye to Legolas before they ran home. Legolas waited behind a little, while Nellas was wiping the snow from her skirts. He walked over to her, trying to think of something to say. "Nellas?" He asked quietly. Nellas turned to him, still laughing softly from the fight. "I…" Legolas tried but stopped himself. He couldn't bring himself to say anything to her. So instead, he just smiled and patted her shoulder. "Thanks."

Nellas looked at him oddly before smiling. She patted his shoulder back. "Normally you don't thank people for throwing snowballs at you."

"I know," Legolas said.

Nellas just shook her head and then waved. "Tell your Adar I say hello," she called over her shoulder as she ran home.

Legolas watched her go before he sighed and turned to head back towards the palace. He walked up the steps and smiled to the guards before he entered the palace, dripping wet from head to toe as the snow melted on his clothes. He shivered slightly before entering the throne room. He had to talk to his Adar about love and teasing. But when he opened the door, he was surprised to find that his Adar had company and that company was a small party from Rivendell. Legolas' thoughts of love were instantly disregarded for the moment as his face lit up at the sight of his Noldor friends.

"Glorfindel!" Legolas called, smiling widely. "Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen! What are you doing here?" He asked, running over to them and going to hug them before Thranduil intercepted him with a hand.

"Legolas," Thranduil said, taking in Legolas' bedraggled appearance. "You're soaking wet." Then he noticed the slight shiver as Legolas looked down at himself. "And freezing," he muttered. "Go get changed and then you may say hello to your guests."

Legolas frowned, looking to Glorfindel and the others, who were all smiling at him. "Fall in a stream?" Elrohir joked, noticing Legolas' dripping tunics.

The young elfling sighed before he started walking towards his chamber, looking dejected. "Teased by ellyths," he announced, his forlorn eyes looking at his father, as though he would take pity on him. Thranduil just raised an eyebrow and motioned with his hands for Legolas to scoot. Legolas frowned again before exiting the throne room.

As soon as the doors closed, Elladan and Elrohir broke into laughter. "He sure has that look down," Elladan said to Thranduil. "He looked quite the image of a little urchin."

Thranduil laughed at the comment. "Indeed," he shook his head before rising and motioning to a few guards. "Let them show you to your rooms. Same as usual," Thranduil smiled. "Then you can warm up and tell me of the coming and goings in Rivendell. I hear Mithrandir stopped by not so long ago."

Arwen perked up at this. "He did!" She piped. "He gave me a present as well!"

"Oh did he?" Thranduil asked, amused by the young elfling's enthusiasm. "What did he give you?"

Arwen seemed to hesitate before she answered. She looked over at her brothers, who quirked their eyebrows in curiosity before going on. "Well I didn't want them to know, but there's no harm I suppose." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stone. "It's a magic stone!" She held it up for Thranduil to inspect. He leaned down to do just that.

"Oh? What does it do?" He asked, smiling at Glorfindel who looked just as pleased at Arwen's enthusiasm and cheer.

Arwen grinned. "It keeps trolls out of my room," she said proudly and then held her chin up. "And that includes Elladan and Elrohir."

"What?" Both of the twins squawked at the same time, their eyes going wide. "Mithrandir told you that?"

"Yup," Arwen said, putting the stone back into her pocket as Thranduil and Glorfindel broke into laughter. "And he also said that you two aren't allowed to touch it or the next time he saw you, he'd turn you into toads."

Elladan mocked horror. Though he turned to his brother and said. "Elrohir, dear brother, I believe we shall have to have a word or two with Mithrandir."

"Yes," Elrohir agreed. "We need to ask for a stone that keeps stink beetles out of our rooms."

Arwen's face puckered in anger. "I'm not a stink beetle!"

"You fooled me!" Elrohir joked, grabbing his little sister and swinging her into the air.

As the twins and Arwen continued to joke and jest, Thranduil pulled Glorfindel aside. "Something tells me this was not a mere friendly visit," he ventured, looking at the tired bags beneath Glorfindel's eyes. The proud warrior sighed and smiled at his friend.

"You know me too well, mellon nin." He replied. "Something has been troubling me lately, though I know not what. I thought that perhaps a trip to Mirkwood would help me figure it out."

Thranduil smiled sympathetically, though his eyes took on a saddened under tone. "I appreciate your respect and love for my family. Though I think your choices in relaxing getaways could have been more wisely chosen. The darkness from the south has been growing, as much as we have tried to stop it. Though we have kept our spirits high, I fear that one day we will have to face whatever it is that is causing this darkness."

Glorfindel nodded, not knowing what else to say. Thranduil let the words sink in for a moment before he put a hand on Glorfindel's shoulder. "Come, mellon nin. You must be tired from your journey. We will let you rest for a while and then perhaps you would join us for dinner?"

"We'd be delighted," Glorfindel answered, corralling the twins and Arwen towards the halls so they could get to their rooms and unpack. Glorfindel sighed. He hoped his mind would be put as ease in Mirkwood, that somehow he'd be able to get a peaceful sleep, without nightmares. For some reason, he doubted he would be given that blessing.

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**Deana: **Thank you. :-) I can't wait to see what trouble they get into either.

Action is on the way. This will have a sort of slow, cute beginning, but the action is on the way, trust me.


	3. On Thin Ice

Chapter 3

Legolas had cleaned up in record time and now sported a fresh, clean tunic as he raced through the halls towards the dining hall where he was certain everyone had already finished their meals without him. But as he rounded the corner, a pair of arms scooped up the elfling into a wild swing, which was rewarded by a whoop of delight. Legolas' flight through the air ended with him upside down, face red with laughter. He desperately tried to turn himself so he could see who his 'attacker' was. However, a laugh gave them away before Legolas had a chance.

"Elladan!" Legolas beamed as the elder twin turned him right side up and set him down. Elrohir was standing behind his brother, with the same grin lining his face. Legolas looked between the both of them, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Did you finish eating already?" He looked distressed.

"Of course not!" Elrohir reached out a hand to ruffle Legolas' pale hair. "We wouldn't dare tempt your wrath."

The grin returned to Legolas' face. "Good!" He turned and motioned for them to follow. "We better hurry then. Ada always tells Calacil to make something good for when you come. I hope he makes berry cakes."

The twins laughed at Legolas' enthusiasm. They listened and chimed in occasionally with his chatter all the way to the dining hall, where everyone was waiting. Arwen had apparently been entertaining them, but as soon as the others walked in, she quieted and began bouncing in her seat. "Legolas!" She called to him. "Your Adar says that after we eat you can take me to see if the pond has frozen over."

Legolas frowned, throwing a glance at Thranduil. "I thought I would show them my archery, Ada." There was a hint of a whine in Legolas' voice and Thranduil raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure they won't mind waiting to see your archery skills until after you have shown Arwen the pond," Thranduil's voice gave no room for negotiation and Legolas sighed before sitting down. Arwen looked unphased by the disagreement, her excitement too much.

They were soon served dinner and any unpleasant attitudes Legolas had were diminished when he found himself eating berry cakes. Kelderas and Arminas had joined them for the meal as well and as soon as Legolas took a bite of his third cake, Kelderas spoke up. "Legolas, did you and your friends have fun this afternoon?" Legolas looked up at his eldest brother with his mouth full. He nodded slowly, eyes wide and shifting towards where Arminas was smiling at him. "What were you up to?" Kelderas asked, his eyebrow quirked in a knowing arch.

Legolas glanced towards Thranduil, who was observing him questioningly. Legolas suddenly felt cornered. He swallowed his bite of berry cake before saying, "We had a snow fight." He paused for a moment and returned his gaze to Arminas. "With Nellas."

"Was that before or after Arminas proclaimed her love for you?" Kelderas chuckled as Arminas elbowed him in the ribs, but she too was laughing lovingly.

Glorfindel looked towards Legolas, who was blushing rapidly, looking down at his plate. "He's a little young for you, wouldn't you say?"

Arminas laughed and swatted her hand at Glorfindel. "Oh," she scolded. "Now Legolas, you know that I hold you very dear. But my heart belongs to your brother. I'm sorry I have given them something to tease you mercilessly about."

"Serves him right for spying," Kelderas chimed in, trying to sound grumpy, but failing miserably as he saw the look on Legolas' face.

Thranduil leaned back in his chair. "Spying?" He asked and suddenly Legolas' eyes turned towards his father. "Legolas, you shouldn't be invading others' privacy as such." Thranduil said sternly.

Legolas shook his head. "But Ada, we weren't spying!" He quickly defended. "We were playing hunting and Kelderas and Arminas were our boars!"

Kelderas, who had begun to sip his wine suddenly choked and coughed. The twins broke into laughter as Thranduil tried to contain the smile that came to his lips. "Boars?" Kelderas mocked horror. "Legolas, surely you think more of us than that!" He joked.

"Of course!" Legolas protested, suddenly becoming frustrated with the way this was going. "I didn't mean it like that."

Seeing that his elfling was about to get very upset, Thranduil decided to end the pestering. "Well, the next time you decide to play hunters, make sure it is on subjects who won't mind it. Privacy is something we find little of these days." Kelderas snorted and reached for Arminas' hand. She took it and Thranduil smiled warmly at the two of them. He had been waiting for the day one of his children would bond. He approved of Arminas well enough, knowing she would make a worthy wife for his son. She had a good head about her.

"I received a letter from Idrial today, Adar," Kelderas said. "She's decided to stay an extra few days in a settlement to the west. She said it was for diplomatic reasoning." Kelderas turned towards the twins. "She will be sorry she missed you."

Elladan smiled warmly at Kelderas. "Yes well, perhaps we could stay until she returns."

Glorfindel sighed. "Not with the way this weather is going," he said. "I'd say we only have a few days to visit until the High Pass will be closed up for winter."

Thranduil nodded. "Indeed. It looks like we are in for a rough winter."

"I don't see why we couldn't stay here for winter," Arwen broke in. "Ada wouldn't mind. And we wouldn't be trouble." The last bit was aimed at Thranduil.

"Surely," Thranduil said, eyeing Glorfindel. "You always say that, but trouble seems to find you elflings wherever you are." Arwen just grinned and Thranduil let out a chuckle.

Line Break!

After everyone was done eating, the twins, Glorfindel, and Arwen followed Legolas as he led them to the pond. Kelderas and Arminas were trailing behind, hand in hand, chuckling at the two elflings. He had conveniently brought his bow and quiver of arrows, 'just in case.' Legolas had begun to chatter to Glorfindel about archery as the twins stayed back with Arwen as she told them repeatedly how excited she was to see the frozen over pond.

"Saleas says that I've learned quicker than any other student he's ever taught," Legolas was saying, his hand unconsciously started to rub the tip of his bow. Glorfindel smiled, though he was finding harder to think of Legolas as a warrior, even though he had a long way to go. Legolas would for always be a young elfling in his eyes. Nothing would change that and Glorfindel didn't want to think about the days he would worry himself over how the elfling was faring in patrols and whatnot.

Suddenly, Arwen was at Legolas' side, having gotten annoyed with her brothers' pestering. She grinned at Legolas, who looked slightly annoyed at being disturbed, but managed to hold his face steady. "Legolas, tell me about the snow fight you had today. Did you win?"

That perked Legolas' interest and he began telling her about the snow fight. Glorfindel fell behind them to walk with the twins, Kelderas and Arminas. He looked towards the crown prince of Mirkwood. "Your brother certainly is excited about his archery skills."

Kelderas nodded, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Yes," he said. "He is very good. I've watched him on several occasions and I've had to constantly remind myself that he is only an elfling. He's good enough to be in the advanced classes. But we've been hesitant about moving him up too quickly. He needs to be with his friends, not with students who will sworn in years ahead of him."

"It is hard to watch them grow up so quickly," Glorfindel guessed on what was causing Kelderas to look at his brother with sudden emotion in his eyes.

"Indeed," Kelderas whispered, sounding all the more like his father.

Arminas took the hint to step in. She wrapped herself around Kelderas' arm and laid her chin on his shoulder. "It is a shame, Glorfindel, that you don't plan to winter here," she said. "Kelderas and I were planning on bonding this winter and the ceremony would come right before spring."

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations," he nodded towards Kelderas who smiled back at him. "I didn't know you had planned it out already."

"Yes," Arminas nodded. "We've had it planned out for a while. But we were trying to plan a time when all could come. Idrial's been so busy with her diplomatic missions and Luthin is enjoying his lieutenant's position so much-"

"Too much," Kelderas broke in, shaking his head. "It is hard to get them to come home."

"Surely they would come home for the ceremony," Glorfindel questioned.

Kelderas nodded. "There's no telling with them. We're waiting to hear when Luthin plans to take his leave of duty. Then we'll make arrangements. We had hoped to get it done before the High Pass closed for winter, so we could invite Lord Elrond and yourselves, but as you can see, that didn't happen."

Arminas chuckled then and ran a hand down Kelderas' back. She looked to Glorfindel. "Tell him he worries too much," she said. "A ceremony is just a ceremony. We don't need one to know we are in love."

Glorfindel smiled. "You should listen to her," he said, making Kelderas roll his eyes and laugh.

"Here we are!" Legolas yelled from the front, holding his arms out. "I don't know, it still looks thin." He said, walking down to edge of the ice. Glorfindel eyed it as well, sizing up the thickness. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be strong enough to hold them if they were to walk on it yet.

Legolas walked carefully down the small slope towards the ice. He put his foot out, testing the ice gently. Arwen ran down to join his side, intent on helping him in any means necessary. However, she didn't anticipate the slippery slope and the snow caught her off guard, sending her straight into Legolas. The two gave a startled cry as Legolas lurched forward and hit the ice hard with his forehead, momentarily stunned.

The young elfling had to shake his head a few times to get the ringing out of his ears. When it was finally gone, he heard someone yelling. He turned his head and saw that it was Kelderas. He focused on his brother's mouth, trying to hear what he was saying. Finally, his hearing came back and Legolas felt the full force of the situation.

"Don't move!" Kelderas was yelling. Legolas spotted the twins carefully making their way down the slope towards where Arwen lay still, eyes wide and scared. Glorfindel was on the other side, making his way towards Legolas. "Legolas lay still, the ice is cracking. Spread out your weight." Kelderas was saying.

Legolas suddenly realized how far Arwen had pushed them both out onto the ice. There was no way Glorfindel or the twins would be able to make it across the ice. If it was cracking under their light weights, it would certainly crack under the older, heavier elves' weights.

"Wait!" Legolas called, making Glorfindel and the twins stop. "It's too thin," Legolas said, his voice quiet, as though the sound would crack the ice alone. "We can crawl…"

"No!" Kelderas yelled. "Legolas you will stay perfectly still. We're coming to get you."

Legolas looked towards Arwen, who was looking towards him for any sign of what to do. "Arwen," Legolas said, making her concentrate. "Ignore them. We have to crawl to the side. The ice will crack with all of us out here." Arwen nodded, telling him she heard him. "All right, move slow. Keep your weight spread through your entire body. No quick movements just go slow."

Arwen began to crawl. Elladan and Elrohir yelled for her to stop and stay still, but she began to panic and started moving faster. Legolas shook his head. "No! Arwen go slow!"

But it was too late. With a splintering crack, the ice beneath Arwen suddenly shatter and she let out a harsh scream as her lower torso was submerged beneath the water. The crack in the ice spread quickly and Legolas forced himself to stay calm as he felt it shift beneath him. When there was suddenly a louder, nearer crack, Legolas rose his head to stare at Kelderas, whose eyes had widened. Then he felt the ice give way beneath him. He grab onto something, anything, but he slipped and before he could control what was happening, his head had slipped beneath the water.

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**jen: **I am a Legolas girl at heart as well, so you can be sure that Legolas will be in this story a lot. Probably a little more than he should be lol.

**KyraSummer:** Thank you! I appreciate that. Hopefully it will get as good of a response as the other one.

**Hearts Corruption: **Legolas will have to deal with the whole teasing matter sooner or later. But you can bet that I will bring it back in hehe.

**SilverWolf7: **Yeah it does that for me too. There's a lot of stories that I'd like to review but it won't let me for some reason, or it will cut off the end part of the story so I don't really know what happens in the last two sentences or something. And as for when Celebrian sails, I'd say that Thranduil and his family went to Rivendell. I kind of mention in this that Arwen's met the family before, but she's never seen their home, so perhaps that was when she met them. I just didn't have the heart to write a story like that yet. Maybe one day I'll write it.

**werewolflemming: **I bet Mithrandir could make a stone like that. But I don't think he made one for Arwen, I think it was just suppose to be a charm. :-) Maybe Mithrandir will make an appearance in this story? Hmm...

**kel: **Leggo has a crush? Where? Who? What! ;-)

**Lothlaurea: **I'm glad you decided to "de-lurk" lol (that gave me a laugh by the way.) Thanks for all the kind words. Here's the beginning of some action for you. It's going to be a pretty spaced out story, but hopefully it will keep people interested. I'm thinking about writing a bunch of Legolas stories and I have some events planned out, but for right now, I've just got to focus on this one so people will stay interested.

**ALL:** I hope everyone likes it so far. I promise there will be more action and tragedy later on. But we'll have to wait and see if little Legolas is all right from his venture on the ice!

PL


	4. Warming Up

Chapter Four

_He was being prodded and he didn't like it. He moved to swat away whoever was squeezing him, but his arms seemed sluggish and he only managed to move a little. He realized suddenly that it was dark, but only because he had his eyes closed. Struggling suddenly to force his eyes open, he was hit with a wash of coldness that penetrated deep into his bones. He winced, wondering how it was possible for someone to get this cold. He was an elf, elves weren't suppose to get cold. _

_It was then that he noticed there was a sound starting to trickle back into his ears. He listened, laying still to get a better feel for what he was hearing. It sounded as though someone was sobbing. He knew that voice…Arwen? _

_And then, it all came back to him. The ice had cracked! They'd fallen through into the water. Ai Elbereth, was Arwen all right? He had to see. He had to open his eyes and see. _

"I'm sorry!" Arwen was sobbing as tears streamed down her pale face. She was shaking with both the sobs and from the chill of having been in the icy water. She was wrapped in Elladan and Elrohir's cloaks and Elrohir had his arms wrapped around her while Elladan was rubbing his own arms. Arwen didn't seem to notice. "I'm sorry!" She cried again. "I didn't mean to kill him!"

Elrohir tried to hush her but she didn't hear him. "Arwen, hush, it's all right." He said soothingly. "He's not dead, look see? He's waking." Elrohir nodded towards where Legolas' hand was opening and closing. Arwen still sobbed however.

Kelderas knelt on one side of his brother, shivering with Arminas' cloak around his shoulders while Glorfindel knelt on the other side, his leggings clinging to him, still wet. While Elladan had gone to retrieve Arwen from the water, Kelderas had jumped in oblivious to the cold after Legolas' head had disappeared beneath the water. Glorfindel, not finding the thought of telling Thranduil two of his sons had died on a mere trip to the pond pleasurable, had waded in after them. Kelderas had been submerged fully into the water, having to dive a bit to get to Legolas, who had been trapped beneath a layer of ice.

Legolas had been unconscious, but breathing. Now it was a matter of waking him up.

"Legolas," Kelderas called softly, though his voice was shaken by the shivering. "Come, wake little brother." He encouraged the small elfling, gently rubbing circles on Legolas' shaking chest. Kelderas stared down at Legolas' face, which was pale. His lips were twinged slightly blue. Kelderas ran a shaky hand through Legolas' wet hair. "Come Legolas, open your eyes."

As if in answer, Legolas turned his head towards his brother's voice. Kelderas let out a small sound of relief and Glorfindel reached down to take one of Legolas' hands. "Keep talking to him," he instructed quietly.

Kelderas gave a solemn nod before leaning down further, his face close to Legolas'. "Please, Legolas. I know it's hard but you need to open your eyes." His voice had taken on a tone of urgency. Seemingly picking up on the distress in his brother's voice, Legolas' eyelids began to flutter. Kelderas smiled and ran his fingers gently along the side of his pale face. "That's it," he whispered. "Come on."

It took a moment of heavy blinking and surveying the scene around him, but finally Legolas seemed to be fully awake. He was shaking horribly and his teeth chattered insistently. But he still managed a small, "Kelderas?" Kelderas' eyes lit up and he pulled his brother into a sitting position before wrapping his arms around him, embracing him as though if he let go Legolas would fade away again.

"Ai, Legolas, don't do that to me," Kelderas whispered, squeezing his brother once more before pulling back and putting his hands on the sides of Legolas' face. "How do you feel?" he asked, looking for any signs of injuries. There seemed to be a small bruise forming on Legolas' forehead.

"C…cold," Legolas whispered, trying unsuccessfully to conceal a shiver.

Arwen suddenly broke from Elrohir's grip and ran to wrap her arms around Legolas' neck. Legolas grunted but took the embrace quietly. Arwen sobbed once more before pulling back and looking Legolas straight in the eye. "I'm sorry I almost killed you!" She cried.

Legolas, smiled suddenly. "Y…you could have t…told me you wanted to g…go swimming," he shivered.

The others chuckled and the comment even garnered a slight laugh from Arwen, though her eyes still shone with tears. Legolas smiled at her again to show that he didn't feel angry towards her. Glorfindel stood, picking Arwen up and wrapping the cloak tighter around her shivering form. Elrohir put an arm around Elladan's shoulders, noticing that his brother had begun to shiver as well. Kelderas reached for Legolas and held him tight as he stood, Arminas instantly coming to help. Legolas lay his head on Kelderas' shoulder tiredly.

They started their trek back to the palace.

After some hot baths and a few serious explanations to Thranduil as to why his sons had returned to the palace exhausted and freezing, everyone had found their way into Thranduil's study and now sat near the warmth of a fire. Legolas sat on his father's lap, wrapped still in warm blankets. He had fallen asleep in the comfort and safety of Thranduil's arms while the elf king attempted to attend to his duties and read a patrol's report. Kelderas and Arminas sat on the floor, Kelderas slightly dozing as he leaned back against his soon to be wife. Arwen and the twins sat near the fire, talking quietly about how Elrond surely would have locked them in their rooms by now. Glorfindel sat quietly, thinking of how life in Mirkwood had changed over the years. He remembered the days of Greenwood the Great. It had once been beautiful. It had rivaled Rivendell and even Lothlorien. But now, it was a dark, worrisome place. But there was light yet, in Mirkwood's people.

* * *

The orc scimitar whirled past his head, making Luthin duck backwards, cursing to himself. He held his right arm close to his chest, feeling the burn of the slash that cut its way across his skin. It wasn't deep, but it was long and had withdrawn one of his arms for use in this battle. As the orc raised its arms to swing the scimitar again, Luthin say his chance and dove forward, knife outstretched and drove the blade into the orc's belly. The orc let out a screech but was soon silence as Luthin twisted the knife and then withdrew it upwards, cutting the flesh deeply.

Taking a few steps backward, he scanned around him to see if there were any more enemies. A hand on his shoulder and he swung around, preparing to drive the knife into flesh again. But his arm slowed even before it was caught in the hand of Meneldur, who gently lowered the weapon away from both of them. "Easy," he said quietly but enforcing. Luthin took in the sight of his mentor. Meneldur had a nasty bruise forming on his left cheekbone and he was filthy with orc blood, but otherwise he seemed to be unharmed.

Meneldur was eyeing his charge just the same. His eyes lingered on the slash across Luthin's arm. It looked painful and was bleeding heavily. He guided the prince to sit near a tree so he could get a better look and patch it up if need be. Luthin sat heavily, breathing to regain control of himself. "Where's Veryandil?" Luthin asked, his eyes scanning the woods for any sign on his captain.

"I lost track of him," Meneldur said, digging into his pouch and pulling out a needle and thread. "This will need to be stitched," he said, looking up at Luthin who merely nodded in response. Meneldur began to stitch the wound.

Several elven warriors were starting to appear. An elf was suddenly at Luthin's side and he looked to find it was Losmor. Losmor and Luthin had been advanced and had gone through training together. Luthin found that he enjoyed the other elf's presence and secretly thanked Kabain for having chosen to keep the two together. Though he supposed Kelderas has something to do with it as well, seeing as now Kelderas had begun working with Kabain, preparing to take over as captain of Mirkwood's army. There was no doubt that Keldreas had pulled to keep Luthin with familiar elves who would protect and follow him without question.

"How is he?" Losmor asked, directing the question at Meneldur, who gave him a quirk of an eyebrow in answer.

Luthin let out a chuckle and clapped Losmor's shoulder. "Worry not," he said light-heartedly. "It's a scratch, nothing more."

Meneldur snorted. "Well, this scratch will no doubt earn you a sling and a trip home."

"What?" Losmor and Luthin both echoed at the same time. "It's not that bad," Luthin said, looking down at his arm. But on closer inspection, he found that the wound looked sickening. It spanned the length of his forearm and even though Meneldur had stitched it, it still looked brutally harsh. There had been a fair amount of blood, which now stained his torn tunic.

"If you hadn't been wearing your arm guard, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Meneldur went on to observe. "We'd be thinking of what to do with an armless Mirkwood warrior." Luthin didn't miss the look of seriousness that Meneldur was giving him, even though his mentor was trying to keep the atmosphere light.

Luthin was about to smart mouth him when he saw Veryandil emerge from the woods supporting a wounded warrior. Luthin went to rise, but Meneldur's hand on his chest held him down. Veryandil deposited the warrior into the arms of the patrol's healer before he looked around, spotting Luthin, and walking over. "How's that arm?" He asked once close enough.

"It's fine," Luthin tried.

"He needs a sling," Meneldur answered. Veryandil nodded.

"Loses?" Luthin asked as Veryandil signaled to one of the healers to come and tend to his lieutenant.

Veryandil sighed and shook his head. "At least four that I know of and many injured. I have to send too many home today."

Luthin nodded solemnly. He accepted the sling that the healer was now placing on him. He winced as his arm was slid into it. "Try not to move the arm for a few days. You should be able to use it within a couple of days, but wear the sling if you ride or do engage in something you'll be tempted to irritate it with." Luthin nodded and the healer left. Veryandil sighed, but smiled.

"I suppose you were due for leave anyway," he commented dryly. Luthin looked up at him, unsure whether his captain was irritated or joking. He couldn't tell from the elf captain's face. "Go home, get some rest. We'll still be here when you get back."

Luthin stood and swatted away Meneldur when the older elf went to help him. "It should take me within a week to recover," Luthin said.

Veryandil shook his head. "No, take your full leave. The shift patrol will be meeting up with us soon and we'll be able to handle things." Veryandil's tone told them all that he was not too pleased to be working with the shift patrol, but soon his face changed and he looked at Luthin again. "I hear Prince Kelderas is planning on bonding with Paerus' daughter."

"Yes," Luthin couldn't help but smile. "Arminas will make a good wife for him."

Veryandil nodded. "You should be there for the ceremony," Veryandil said and then turned to attend to the other injured warriors. "The injured will be leaving soon. I want you with them."

As soon as the captain had found other things to attend to, Losmor started chuckling. Luthin turned to glare at him, knowing already what his friend was thinking. But Losmor ignored the glare before he whispered, "Veryandil seems adamant about you staying home. I'd say he's looking forward to the peace and quiet for a while." Luthin swiped at Losmor who just started laughing.

"Is that how you talk to your superiors?" Luthin mocked, a glimmer in his eye.

Losmor struck a thoughtful pose before answering, "Only the ones I know won't be able to best me in a sparring match, gimp." Luthin feigned horror a the nickname and was about to lunge at Losmor, but Meneldur stepped in the way.

"Come," he said, seemingly unphased by the friendly banter between the two. "We're leaving."

Losmor called to Luthin, "Say hello to everyone. And good luck to Kelderas!"

"Don't be too lost without me," Luthin called back, to which he gained a loud scoff followed by a laugh as Losmor went off to see where he could be of some help.

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**Haldir's Heart and Soul: **Thanks for all the reviews! I love little Legolas fics too. That's why it was one of the first ones that I wrote hehe.

**Lothlaurea: **Another "de-lurk?" I'm honored. I know I'm cruel hehe. And yeah, right now I can see a bunch of Legolas stories coming out of this head of mine. It's just a matter of writing them all down. I'm already seeing plotty events that I want to throw in but know I'll have to do in a different story. So...there's at least three more stories after this one is finished, because that's how many major plot things I ahve in my head. And not to mention the stories I want to write of when Legolas knows Aragorn hehe.

PL


	5. Uneventful Day

Chapter Five

Glorfindel lay awake, unable to sleep. One day in Mirkwood and already he'd had his fair share of close calls. Though the whole scene seemed silly afterwards, Glorfindel couldn't help but think of how utterly horrible it could have turned out to be. He knew the incident would do nothing for his nightmares. His nightmares had been focused completely on his incident with the balrog in another life, but he had no doubt that should he fall asleep thinking of both the nightmares and of the events of the day, the images of Legolas' and Arwen's bodies trapped beneath the ice would find their way into his dreams. He wasn't up for the task of reminding himself that things had worked out okay in the end.

He had begun to think that perhaps he would not find sleep this night when there was a quiet knock on his door. He almost dismissed it as being just another bump in the night, but then he felt the presence just outside his door and smiled sitting up. He called out quietly, "Come in."

The door creaked open and Legolas' head poked through the crack. When he saw Glorfindel was awake, he gave a small smile and whispered, "Did I wake you?"

Glorfindel smiled back and shook his head. "No, penneth," he answered, beckoning for Legolas to come in. "I couldn't sleep," Glorfindel admitted, wondering what brought Legolas to his room. Legolas' own nightmares over the death of his mother had long since stopped plaguing him, as far as Glorfindel knew. It had been a while since Legolas had come to Glorfindel's room late at night, teary eyed and frightened from the dreams. He wondered if Legolas still suffered, but had found another safe bed to sleep in. Perhaps his brothers?

"Neither could I," Legolas admitted shyly. He stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind him. "You are not sleepy, are you?" Legolas asked, pausing cautiously. When Glorfindel shook his head, Legolas resumed his trek over to the bed. He stood next to Glorfindel, looking hesitant for a moment.

"You slept for a long while today," Glorfindel observed. "I would worry if you weren't awake now."

Legolas bit on his lower lip and Glorfindel knew that whatever Legolas had to say wasn't going to be pleasant. He waited patiently for Legolas to gather himself. And when he did, it wasn't what Glorfindel had expected.

"Glorfindel, what is it like to be in love?"

It took a moment for Glorfindel to collect himself and redirect his thoughts. He had been completely prepared to discuss nightmares, fears, even death. He had not at all prepared himself to discuss love, especially not with one as young as Legolas. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed before sighing and looking at the distressed look on Legolas' face. He patted the bed and Legolas climbed up and sat next to him.

"Well," Glorfindel began, unsure of how to go on. He decided to take this on a different path. "What makes you ask? You are young yet. Love should be the last thing on your mind."

Legolas shrugged, twiddling with the edges of Glorfindel's blanket. "I don't know," he whispered quietly.

Glorfindel chanced a guess. "Does this have anything to do with the discussion at meal this evening?" Legolas' face blushed a little and he nodded. Glorfindel couldn't help but smile. "Arminas is a very fine match for your brother, but I think she was teasing you."

"That's just it!" Legolas protested. "Saeros' Ada told him that when an ellyth teases you, that means she loves you. I don't know what to do, Glorfindel. I like Arminas well enough, but not enough to love her. She is bonding with Kelderas!"

Glorfindel had to stiffle a chuckle at the hopeless look on Legolas' face. He wrapped an arm around the young elf's shoulders. "Well, I suppose you will have to tell Arminas how you feel. I am sure she will understand." Legolas looked doubtful, but sighed resignedly. "But that is not all that is on your mind, is it?"

Legolas shook his head. He let out a sigh before continuing. "I think that I am in love with an ellyth but I cannot tell because I do not know what love feels like."

Glorfindel's eyebrow rose at this. "Well, what do you feel when you are around this ellyth?"

Legolas thought for a moment. "Like my stomach won't sit still. And I can't seem to talk straight, and I feel like laughing all the time when she is near. Is that love?"

"It sounds like it," Glorfindel said, grinning at the look of horror on Legolas' face. "But perhaps you should speak with your Adar about this. You wood elves have a stranger sense of love than we Noldor." Legolas scrunched up his nose but gave a small laugh.

"Were you ever bonded?" Legolas asked quietly, knowing he may be treading into uncomfortable territory.

Glorfindel paused, but felt Legolas deserved a straight answer. "They tell me I was courting an elf before I fought with the balrog." Legolas was quiet, realizing that he'd never really heard Glorfindel speak of the balrog before without shutting completely down. "Though, I do not remember her and her name is unknown to me. But since I came to Rivendell, I have not had time to court anyone, let alone think of bonding."

"Do you think Arminas will be happy with our family?" Legolas asked, repositioning himself so he was leaning back against Glorfindel's arm. Glorfindel noticed the slightly sleepy look that had crossed the young elf's face. He moved a little so that Legolas' head was cradled in the crook on his arm to give him some more comfort.

"I think she will be exceedingly happy with your family," Glorfindel whispered. "Though it may take some time for her to adjust to dealing with all of you, considering your family has a knack for attracting trouble."

Legolas yawned, nestling further into Glorfindel, his eyes slightly glazing with sleep. "No more than you Noldor," he whispered tiredly. Glorfindel chuckled softly, watching as the young elf fell asleep in the safety of his arm. Glorfindel leaned his head back, smiling to himself. No matter how much he jested with the young elf and his family, Glorfindel couldn't help but admit that he had missed Legolas dearly. It was good to see his young friend again. And with that though, Glorfindel drifted to sleep, contently undisturbed by the nightmares for a night.

* * *

The next morning had gone on without incident. Legolas, at his utter dismay, had been forced to go to lessons with the promise that in the afternoon he could show Glorfindel and the twins his skill at archery. It had been enough to motivate the young prince to leave his guests' sides for the morning. Glorfindel had let the twins and Arwen roam the palace grounds while he sat in on some of the training that the more advanced warriors were taking part in.

Glorfindel watched as two young warriors sparred with each other. He was surprised to see the intensity with which the training sessions were held and had to keep reminding himself that in Mirkwood, such intensity was necessary. Mirkwood warriors would come face to face with such intensity out on patrol much sooner than warriors of Rivendell would. Though Rivendell had the occasional orcs and wolves, Mirkwood had spiders, goblins, and larger orc parties to deal with. There were far greater dangers in Mirkwood now that it had fallen under shadow.

"Evaluating my warriors?" The voice caught Glorfindel by surprise and once again he found himself cursing the Silvan stealth. He turned and smiled at Kelderas, who was dressed in his sparring tunic, though he still wore the ranking pallets in his hair.

Glorfindel rose, looking back towards the training warriors. "Just marveling in the strength of Mirkwood's warriors," Glorfindel answered, grinning.

Kelderas chuckled a little, watching the two warriors. He called out a pointer to one to hold his elbows out bent further as to not tire. When they were done, he turned back to Glorfindel. "I was wondering if you would want to sit in on our more advanced training session. They've been needing some extra motivation lately and I think your presence would help bring that to them."

Glorfindel nodded, "Of course," he nodded, following Kelderas as he walked towards a further training field. Glorfindel heard the sounds of knife sparring before he saw them. When they were closer, his curiosity was peeked when he saw the warriors training with short, close ranged weapons instead of archery or swords. He hadn't known the Mirkwood warriors trained with these sort of weapons. "When did this start?" He asked to Kelderas, quietly.

Kelderas leaned closer, so none of the warriors could hear. "Since we found that the orcs were using new strategies. Their numbers are overpowering. With a sword, it is easy to get it stuck in their armor. With short knives, it is easy to dispatch of them when a group is trying to overpower you when you are alone." Glorfindel nodded, feeling again the weight of the shadow that now lay over Mirkwood. It was troubling that they would have to deal with situations such as these. "If you see something you think can be improved in a warrior's technique, do not be afraid to tell them. They will listen to you." Kelderas nodded towards him and then walked in towards the warriors, quickly telling the two who were sparring to stop and telling two who had been sitting, watching, to start. The snow made it slippery, but the warriors seemed to be able to handle it. Glorfindel admired them for it.

Glorfindel watched them and in only a few seconds, found himself engrossed. He made his way towards them and began giving out pointers. Kelderas and the short ranged blade teachers brought out more to spar in pairs. Glorfindel quickly fell into the role of helping these warriors improve their defensive techniques instead of offensive. Kelderas remained by Glorfindel's side, glaring at warriors who questioned the tips. Glorfindel had to laugh at that.

Before they knew it, the training session was over. Glorfindel had found himself with two blades in his hand, taking on some of the warriors himself, teaching them about the different attacks they may encounter. The orcs whom he often ran into in Rivendell had slightly different fighting techniques than did the ones in Mirkwood. Kelderas was overjoyed to find his warriors getting the worldly lessons. As Glorfindel helped Kelderas and the teachers to clean up, Kelderas laughed suddenly. Glorfindel looked over, wondering what could spark the crown prince to laugh.

"I just realized that most of those warriors knew not who you were," Kelderas said, grinning. Glorfindel too grinned back before he shrugged.

"Well, we wouldn't want them boasting to their friends that they trained with the ever powerful Glorfindel," he joked. Kelderas laughed again before nodding towards the teachers, who nodded back respectively. He clutched Glorfindel's shoulder and guided him back towards the palace.

"I believe Legolas has been waiting all day to show you his skill in archery," Kelderas said. "No doubt he gave Saleas problems today."

Glorfindel smiled at the thought. Was there anyone who Legolas didn't give problems to? He doubted it. "Well, he will have to wait a little longer, I am famished." Glorfindel said, putting a hand to his stomach. Kelderas nodded in agreement.

A sudden angry yell caught their attention and the two turned their heads to inspect the source of the noise. They were both surprised to see Meneldur guiding a horse that carried a very perturbed looking Luthin. Kelderas let out a small sound of fear and Glorfindel immediately saw why. Luthin's arm was in a tight sling. Kelderas hurried over to them. Meneldur was the first to see the crown prince.

"Mae Govannen, my Prince," Meneldur bowed respectively before taking on a serious tone. "Will you please tell your brother that he is not invincible and that he should be grateful for the care that is given him?" Kelderas looked from Meneldur up at Luthin, who just noticed his brother. Luthin broke into a grin.

"Kelderas!" He said, attempting to get off the horse.

"Wait until we are at the stables!" Meneldur admonished.

Luthin didn't listen. He slid from the horse, hiding a grimace as he jarred his arm. Kelderas was instantly at his side. "It's a flesh wound to my arm, my legs work perfectly fine." Luthin said harshly towards Meneldur.

"They won't if I break them in order to get you to rest," Meneldur growled back. Though Kelderas was worried for his brother, he couldn't help but smile at the unusual care Meneldur showed towards his brother.

Kelderas stood in front of Luthin, touching his shoulder gently and trying to get a look at his arm. "What happened?" He asked looking Luthin in the eye, showing him he wanted a true response, not a smart remark. Luthin noticed the look at decided to give Kelderas the truth.

"An orc scimitar got a little too close," he gave, sounding as if it were nothing more than a bee sting. "It's nothing. A flesh wound."

"A flesh wound that requires him to rest for the next few days, but he will not do anything I tell him to," Meneldur scowled.

Kelderas turned and smiled towards Meneldur. "Do not worry, Meneldur," he said. "I'm sure Adar will make him stay in bed for a week."

Luthin snorted at that. "We'll see about that."

"Luthin!" Came a sudden cry. The group turned to see Legolas, followed by the twins, running towards them. He had his bow and quiver strapped to his back, but it didn't look like archery was on his mind. He ran to Luthin straight away, pausing in front of him to eye the sling that was wrapped around his brothers arm. "What happened?" he demanded. "Does it hurt? Are you all right? Do you need a healer?"

Luthin chuckled at Legolas' barrage of questions. He reached out to ruffle his youngest brother's hair affectionately before assuring Legolas that he was fine, to which Meneldur snorted again. Luthin brought Legolas into an embrace, wrapping his good arm around his brother's shoulders and closing his eyes as he took in his youngest brother's scent. He realized then how much he had missed his family, and how close he had come to coming back without a limb, possibly dead.

"I missed you, sprig," Luthin whispered to him.

"I missed you too, Luthin," Legolas whispered back, sensing his brother's sudden rush of emotion.

Luthin pulled away and sighed, looking over to Kelderas. "Well, Veryandil has sent me home on leave, so I suppose you are stuck with me for a while." Kelderas looked suspicious at that, but decided that he'd better not talk about it in front of Legolas, for fear of worrying his youngest brother more than necessary. Instead, he nodded and embraced his brother.

"It is good to have you home again," he said.

Luthin smiled, patting his brother on the back before looking towards Glorfindel and the twins. He looked rather surprised to see them. "I had not expected to have the company of the Rivendell elves," Luthin said, grinning at the twins, who smiled back at him. "The High Pass should be closing soon. Will you be wintering with us?"

The twins went to answer, but Glorfindel got to it before them. "No," he said, giving them both a look. "Our visit is short, but Arwen wanted to see Mirkwood. We will be leaving in a few days."

Luthin nodded. "Good," he said and then leaned closer to the twins. "I have some ideas to share with you." The twins snickered as Glorfindel sighed and looked down towards Legolas, who still looked rather shaken as he looked at the sling on Luthin's arm.

"Legolas," Glorfindel called softly. The young prince looked over at him. "I can still count on you to help me against these three, can I not?"

Legolas grinned. "Yes!" he said. "And Arwen too. What until we tell you our plan for a snow fortress. It will beat whatever they have planned," Legolas said, glaring at the twins, who both broke into laughter

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**kel: **Why thank you! I'm glad to see you back here again, reading my stories hehe.

**Kirsten: **Yep, Luthin's back. And he'll be in the rest of the story I think.

**jen: **Yeah sometimes the review stuff messes up for me too. But, I just review on a different chapter or whatever. Oh, and I agree that there is never too much Legolas. :-) Right now, I'm trying to work with a lot of characters. I want to give the twin lovers something to work with too, so we'll see where that goes.

**Haldir's Heart and Soul: **Little Legolas is all right, for now...bwhahaha.

**werewolflemming: **I'll be sure to keep that in mind hehe. I thought the image of Legolas falling asleep in Thranduil's arms was cute too, so I just had to put it in there. There will be a lot more of Thranduil babying little Legolas. :-)


	6. Spiders

Chapter Six

Thranduil sat quietly listening to the men from Lake Town discuss trading and other important matters. Thranduil had seemingly taken a back seat to Kelderas, who was negotiating with the men. Thranduil was glad that his son had started to take on his role of crown prince. He was happy for the reprieve of negotiation, though he was also sad to know that his son had grown so quickly into the title.

The meeting was coming to a close, which Thranduil was happy to note for he had yet to meet with Luthin and see to it that his son was indeed well. He had been worried to learn that Luthin had sustained injury on patrol, but Kelderas had assured him it was a mere flesh wound. But Thranduil would not be put aside until he saw to it himself.

"We have assured that our trade will continue on good standings," Kelderas was saying and Thranduil smiled to himself. "Are there any other matters that we must see to?"

The representative from Lake Town seemed to hesitate before raising his chin a little and saying, "Perhaps one more." The man smiled and adjusted his footing before continuing. "There has been an increase in spider sightings near the outskirts of our town. Spiders are not uncommon in these woods, we know, but we normally have problems with the smaller black breeds. Lately we have been seeing more of the larger brown kind. They are more deadly and my king would like to discuss trade of spider bite anti-venom."

Kelderas was quiet for a moment, going over the words in his head. Thranduil decided to take on this matter. He sat forward and spoke up. "Though we do face spiders on a near daily basis through our patrols, our anti-venom stock is limited. We have not the means to trade in large quantities. However, we do have other medicinal herbs that may aid recovery."

"Fair enough. I will take the notion to my king and return with the answer."

The meeting was called to an end and Thranduil rose with a sigh. Kelderas quirked an eyebrow at him. "Are these meetings that tiresome to you, Adar?" Elrond asked with a smile.

Thranduil chuckled a bit before his face took on a serious look. "My patrols continue to destroy spider nests, yet for every spider we kill, two more take its place."

Kelderas laid a hand on his father's shoulder. "They migrate here from the south. I suppose they are just another part of the darkness that continues to spread from Dol Guldor."

Thranduil nodded but then shook his head. "This is a matter we will deal with at a later time. Now, I would like to see to Luthin, where is he?"

Kelderas chuckled. "Well, I took him to the healing wing to have his arm looked at, but I suppose he didn't stay there for long. I suggest you look for him on the archery fields, where I am sure he, the twins, and Glorfindel are amusing Legolas."

Thranduil smiled. "Or Legolas is amusing them." The three chuckled and made their way to the archery fields.

* * *

Luthin stood beside Glorfindel as Legolas let loose another arrow, which hit the dead center of a target placed at the end of the archery field. Glorfindel let out a small noise of approval as the twins watched in awe at the skill Legolas possessed. Luthin was grinning. He knew that Legolas was excelling in his archery skills. He knew that his youngest brother had surpassed some of the most trained and skilled warriors Mirkwood had to offer. He was proud of his youngest brother, but also a bit sad to know that the young elfling had grown so quickly into a warrior.

"He loves showing off his skills," Luthin said as Legolas made another dead center hit. Glorfindel nodded and looked over towards the prince. Luthin grinned. "And people love to watch him."

"He is skilled, very skilled," Glorfindel agreed. "I find both pride and worry accompany that knowledge."

Luthin snorted. "I believe everyone does. We all thought he would be an elfling forever. It's hard to see him as a skilled warrior, capable of taking care of himself." Glorfindel nodded.

"Trouble seems to find him wherever he goes," Glorfindel admitted. "He ages me beyond my years."

Luthin chuckled, knowing the feeling all too well. "Oh? Well perhaps this visit will be different. Legolas can stay out of trouble for a few days."

Glorfindel grunted. "It is too late for that. You missed the excitement by a day."

"Oh?" Luthin raised an eyebrow, suddenly disturbed that something had happened to his brother and he was not informed.

"Indeed," Glorfindel said, knowing that he had to be careful how he said this, for Luthin was very protective of his family. "Your brothers went for a swim yesterday." Luthin's face paled. He looked back towards his brother, eyeing him up, looking for any signs that his brother was not well. Glorfindel put a hand on Luthin's shoulder. "Worry not, they are both all right. But needless to say, he now knows when a pond is not fully frozen."

Luthin shook his head. "That elfling will be the death of us." Glorfindel merely chuckled.

The snow began to fall softly, and even through the flakes, Legolas' aim was not deterred. When his arrows were spent, he turned and shouldered his bow. He grinned at the twins, who proceeded to praise him before they found themselves in a tussling match in the snow. Luthin and Glorfindel watched from the sides, not wanting to be a part of the match.

"The snow is starting to fall heavier," came Thranduil's voice. Luthin turned to greet his father. Thranduil pulled his son into an embrace, being careful not to jostle his injured arm too much. When they broke apart, Thranduil looked at Luthin's injury. "How did you manage this?" He asked.

"Well, when thirty orc scimitars are swinging down towards you, there are only so many places you can jump without being hit by one." Luthin tried to joke, but when he noticed the look of seriousness on his father's face, he sighed. "It was ill luck, ada."

"Perhaps not," Thranduil nodded. "You still have your arm."

Luthin quirked his eyebrows in agreement, but was unable to say another word before Legolas suddenly ran over to them, laughing as he hid behind his father. Thranduil opened his mouth to speak, but a snowball hitting his chest cut him off. All eyes turned to the twins, who looked excessively guilty yet gleeful at the same time. "The first casualty," Elladan shrugged. "You were standing in our line of sight, my lord."

Thranduil looked perturbed, but the slight glint in his eye told them otherwise. "I see," Thranduil said. "Well, when you least expect it, I will repay you for this." The twins looked momentarily shocked at Thranduil's threat, but when Legolas let out a hoot of joy, they grinned, knowing that Thranduil had just challenged them.

"Legolas!" The shout made the entire party turn to see who was yelling. Daeron and Saeros came running up the path. Legolas went to greet them. Daeron leaned in to Legolas and whispered something to him. Thranduil could not hear what was being said, but from the look on Legolas' face, the elflings were up to something. Legolas turned to look at his family, he paused, seemingly torn between going with his friends and staying with his guests.

"Ada…" Legolas began.

"Go," Thranduil smiled, knowing what Legolas was going to ask. "But be home for evening meal. Perhaps afterwards, we shall take on the twins."

Legolas grinned as the twins scoffed. "You are in for it," Legolas said to them as he turned to run after Daeron and Saeros, who had taken off towards some new adventure. "My Ada never loses a snow war!"

The elflings disappeared and Thranduil turned towards his guests. "Let us go warm up." He said to everyone and then looked towards Luthin. "And you should rest." Luthin scoffed, but did as Thranduil advised.

* * *

Legolas followed Daeron and Saeros closely. He had been reluctant to leave the Rivendell party, and his brothers, but whenever Daeron said he had found something remarkable, it was never an exaggeration. The three elflings made their way towards the woods and stopped at the edge. Daeron turned to Legolas. "Now, you have to promise not to tell anyone about this, not even Lord Glorfindel," he said, looking Legolas straight in the eye.

"Do you not trust me?" Legolas asked, shocked.

Saeros shook his head. "It's not that, it's just this is big and if Glorfindel found out, he would surely tell your Ada."

That peaked Legolas' interest. "What is it?"

"You just wait," Daeron grinned before his eyes shifted to something behind Legolas. Legolas turned and grimaced when he saw Arwen coming up the path. She spotted them and waved. Legolas groaned and turned to his friends.

"She'll want to come with," he said.

"She can't, she'll tell Lord Glorfindel," Daeron shook his head.

Legolas chewed on his lip but didn't say anything as Arwen ran over to them. "Legolas, I've been looking for you all. Have you seen Glorfindel or the twins?" She asked.

"Yes, I think they are heading inside. You may be able to catch them if you leave now," Legolas said swiftly.

Arwen frowned at him, nodding and partly turned to leave. She stopped though and gave the three elflings a look. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"No where," the three said in unison.

Arwen scrunched her face at them. "You three are up to something," she said. "What are you doing?"

"It's nothing, Arwen," Legolas tried again.

"Please, Legolas. I came here looking for adventure. Please, let me come with you wherever you are going." She begged, looking Legolas in the eye.

Legolas grimaced and looked his friends. Saeros shrugged but Daeron seemed to contemplate. "How do we know we can trust you not to tell?" Daeron asked.

"I promise!" Arwen squealed. "I won't tell if you let me come. I swear to the Valar."

The three were quiet before Legolas finally nodded and Daeron said, "All right." Arwen grinned but Daeron held up his finger and pointed at both Legolas and Arwen. "But if anyone finds out, we'll all be in big trouble, just know that." Legolas and Arwen nodded before Daeron turned towards the woods and entered. They followed him and Saeros.

They had traveled a little ways before Daeron suddenly turned and held a finger to his lips. Legolas was nearly bursting with excitement, as was Arwen. Legolas turned to look at Saeros, but found that the smaller elfling looked just as nervous as he did excited. Legolas frowned and looked back to Daeron, who was sneaking quietly through the woods. He crouched down and motioned for Legolas to come closer. Legolas crouched and went over to his friend. Daeron pointed through the branches and Legolas had to look closely. At first he didn't see anything, but when he finally realized what he was looking at, his eyes went wide and he turned to look at Daeron. "Have you lost your mind?" Legolas tried to whisper, but he was so shocked it came out louder than he expected.

Saeros shushed as Daeron clamped a hand over his mouth. "Quiet!" Daeron scolded. "And don't worry," he said afterwards. "Saeros and I have already scouted it out and it's abandoned. Your Ada's patrols probably saw to that."

"What is it?" Arwen asked, her voice loud. The three turned to shush her. She cringed and repeated quieter, " what is it?"

Legolas let her slip in between him and Daeron and he pointed to the trees. "Do you see it?"

Arwen looked and then shook her head. "No. All I see are those sticks and branches gathered together."

"Don't you know what that is?" Saeros asked.

Arwen frowned back at him, angry that her intelligence would be mocked. "No, I'm not a wood elf." Saeros scowled.

Legolas intervened. "It's a spider's nest." Legolas said. Arwen turned, her eyes wide.

"What?" She shocked. She turned to Daeron. "Have you lost your mind?" She repeated Legolas' earlier question.

Daeron sighed and shook his head. "It's empty. There's no spiders around here, we would have sensed them." He moved his gaze to Legolas. "You were looking for a fortress. Well we've found one. It's the perfect spot."

Legolas shook his head. "No, we're not using a spider's nest."

Daeron scoffed and stood up. "You'll see," he said, starting to walk towards the nest.

"Daeron!" Legolas called softly, reaching out and trying to grab his friend. But Daeron dodged and made his way over to the tree beneath the nest.

Turning, Daeron motioned for them to come closer. "Come on, it's safe."

Saeros went after his friend and Legolas made to follow, but Arwen grabbed his shirt, holding him in place. "Legolas, this is a bad idea," she whispered. Legolas turned to her, ready to say something smart, but he saw how fearful she was. "I don't want to go near it." She gave, her face showing exactly how scared she was.

Legolas patted her arm. "You can wait here for us," he said and then turned to follow his friends.

Arwen grunted and followed him reluctantly. She accepted his help in climbing up the tree and they made their way into the nest. It was big enough for them to stand without hitting their heads, which surprised Legolas. He didn't think spider nests could get this big. The smell inside the nest was horrible. Arwen held a hand to her nose. "This is disgusting," she whispered.

Saeros huffed. "No one asked you to come."

Legolas nudged Saeros. "You have to admit, though, it is disgusting." He felt Arwen start to get irritated with Saeros, and decided to intervene.

"Yeah," Daeron admitted, nodding. "it's the smell of decaying flesh." He said, grinning as Arwen shook her head in disgust.

Legolas suddenly tensed, his head tilting to the side as he listened. Both Daeron and Saeros stopped moving and looked at him. "What is it?" Daeron asked, the seriousness not passing unaware by Arwen.

Legolas shook his head, shushing him. He suddenly turned and grabbed Arwen, yanking her towards him. Arwen let out a soft yell of surprise as a thread of webbing shot pass her. Both Daeron and Saeros let out yells as they realized what was happening. Legolas turned and kicked at a spot at the opposite end of the opening. The wood shattered beneath his boot and he turned towards Daeron. "Go, we have to go," he said.

A hiss reached their ears and they looked towards the opening of the nest. Legolas felt his heart freeze as he saw the spider start to enter. It wasn't a black spider, which Legolas knew was the more frequently spotted and dealt with, but a brown spider. No wonder the nest was so big. "Go!" Legolas yelled, shoving Saeros out the hole after Daeron. Legolas grabbed Arwen and made her go out. She was letting out small sounds of distress as she set her eyes upon a Mirkwood spider for the first time.

A thread of webbing caught Legolas on the shoulder, yanking him backwards. "Legolas!" Arwen yelled as he lost his grip on her and she fell through the hole, down to the ground below, where Daeron and Saeros caught her. Legolas turned and with all his might, kicked out with a boot. He hit the spider's head, causing it to falter for a second, which was all Legolas needed to escape out the hole.

He landed beside Daeron. "Arrow," he commanded and Daeron pulled his quiver from his back and strung it around Legolas' shoulder. Legolas notched and arrow and let it loose. He heard a screech and immediately, they were showered with black spider blood. Arwen let out a cry and Legolas grabbed her hand. "Run!" Legolas demanded and the four took off running.

Legolas' heart was pounding in his chest. Although he had grown up with stories of Mirkwood spiders all his life, he had never actually seen one, alive, in person before. Especially not a brown one this large. Legolas hoped his arrow had killed it. He didn't think they could outrun a spider.

"We need to be in the trees so it doesn't catch us from above," Daeron said, turning to look at Legolas.

"Arwen can't manage these trees," Legolas said, looking towards Elrond's daughter, whose eyes were wide with fear and guilt. He squeezed her hand. "Just keep running."

They had not made it but a few more steps before Arwen suddenly tripped, nearly causing Legolas to trip over her. He leapt over her, not able to stop his momentum. The action caused him to catch a glimpse of the spider, an arrow protruding from it's side, getting ready to pounce on top of Arwen. Legolas, without thinking, drew an arrow from his quiver. He hadn't the time to notch it as the spider descended. Legolas jumped in front of Arwen and felt the girth of the spider hit him, causing him to fall backwards. He landed on top of Arwen, he let out a scream.

Legolas felt a firey stab of pain in his side. He grunted, but ignored the pain as he maneuvered the arrow and stabbed it harshly into the face of the spider. The screech rang in his ears as the spider leapt off, gurgling and hissing before it fell, dead. Legolas took in deep breaths as the first made it's way up his chest. He closed his eyes, trying to draw in breaths.

After a moment, he realized someone was talking to him. He opened his eyes and saw Arwen, tears on her face. She was holding his hand. Daeron and Saeros were at his side as well. Daeron didn't seem to notice that Legolas was awake. Legolas looked at Daeron's lips and when he realized what Daeron was saying, he felt a notch of panic well up inside him.

"He's been bit," Daeron was saying. "We have to get him back to Lord Elrond."

Saeros shook his head. "It was a brown spider. Their venom is deadly."

"Not always," Daeron yelled, angry that his friend would even suggest such a thing. Daeron looked at Legolas and saw he was watching him. "Don't worry Legolas, you'll be fine."

Legolas nodded, but couldn't bring himself to say anything as the pain spread once again, causing his breathing to hitch and his eyes to draw shut. He felt Arwen grasp his hand and felt her brush his hair back. Her heard her sob and then the pain brought him into darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait. One of my friends was killed by a drunk driver and I didn't really have the heart to write. But my good spirits are back so I'll be writing again. The next chapter will be up shortly.


	7. Feverish

Chapter Seven

Glorfindel sat next to Thranduil as the elven king was listening to another story shared by the twins. Luthin and Kelderas were laughing as the twins told about a hunting trip that had gone awry. Glorfindel glowered at them, knowing that they would never leave out the part where he had fallen into a stream. He caught Elladan's glimpse in his direction and the grin that played across the elder twin's face was enough to tell Glorfindel that the inevitable was coming.

What he did not expect was for Thranduil to suddenly lurch forward in his chair, clutching at his side. The twins immediately froze. Kelderas and Luthin were at their feet instantly, Kelderas reaching a hand out to Thranduil's shoulder. "Adar? What is it?" Kelderas demanded, the worry evident in his voice.

Thranduil shook his head, suddenly stiffening. "Legolas…" he whispered harshly and rose quickly, brushing pass Glorfindel. His sons were at his heels. Glorfindel looked to the twins, who were suddenly less animated. They rushed after the royal family.

Thranduil had ran towards the first warrior he had seen. Glorfindel heard him ask almost fearfully, "My son, have you seen Legolas?" The warrior shook his head, alarmed at the king's irate behavior. Kelderas reached his father, slowing him down before he could yell at the warrior. Kelderas took the initiative.

"Go, try to find him," Kelderas commanded the warrior, who nodded and ran off the gather help. Kelderas held his father in one place. "Adar, you must calm down," Kelderas insisted. Glorfindel went to his friend's side, trying to aid the crown prince in calming down the irrational king. "Adar," Kelderas begged again as Thranduil's eyes swept the grounds for any sign on his elfling.

Suddenly, a noise hit their ears and they turned to spot a young elfling burst from the woods at full speed. Glorfindel recognized the light haired elf as being Saeros, a friend of Legolas'. But at the moment, Saeros' breath was hitched and tears had stained his face pink. Thranduil was instantly running towards the elfling. When Saeros caught sight of the king, he let out a sob of relief and grabbed the king's hand, pulling him towards the woods. "Come, please, we…we didn't think…it was empty…Legolas told us…the spider-"

"A spider?" Thranduil boomed, startling the young elfling. Saeros instantly began to weep. Kelderas went to Saeros' side, trying to shush him. He waved towards the palace guards, who were running down the path towards their king. "This close?"

Kelderas kneeled before Saeros. "Can you show us where they are?"

Saeros nodded and took off into the woods again. The rest followed without hesitation. It seemed to take forever, but finally, they broke through a small clearing and instantly Thranduil had fallen to his knees. Glorfindel maneuvered his way so he could see what had brought the king to his knees. His heart stopped for a moment at the sight. Legolas lay on the ground, still, and deathly pale. Red and black blood alike had stained his side. But what scared Glorfindel the most was that Legolas' eyes were closed. Were it not for the frown that marred the young elfling's face, he would have guessed Legolas to already be dead.

"Legolas!" Luthin's voice broke the uneasy quiet as the prince kneeled beside his brother.

Glorfindel noticed then that Arwen had run to Elladan and Elrohir, sobbing into Elladan's arm as he held her. Kelderas immediately sent the guards out to scout for any other spiders that may be near. They vanished into the trees. Then he knelt down beside his father and brother to examine the young elfling. Daeron stood off to the side, looking stricken. Glorfindel walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, but the dark haired elfling barely noticed, his eyes locked so intently on his deathly still friend.

"Legolas?" Thranduil called quietly, stroking the elfling's hair, which was matted to his head in a sheer sweat even in the cold snow. "Legolas, ion-nin," Thranduil tried. Legolas' eyes moved beneath the lids and suddenly they were open, staring up at the sky. "Legolas?" Thranduil asked more urgently.

"He's been stung!" Daeron called, his voice hitching. Glorfindel gave his shoulder a squeeze of reassurance. Thranduil looked towards the elfling and then towards the carcass of the spider that lay a few feet away. His eyes widened as he realized the severity of the situation. He immediately turned back to his son.

"Legolas, stay with me," he commanded gently. Legolas' eyes wandered, not really seeing what was going on. Thranduil tried his best to be gentle as he scooped the youngling into his arms.

Kelderas called for one of the guards to come back. "Go, tell Calacil my brother has been stung by a brown spider," he said, his voice grave. The guard nodded and was instantly flying through the trees, towards home.

Luthin placed a hand on Legolas' forehead. "Ada," he whispered, the horror evident in his voice. Legolas was limp, but his eyes were panicked, flickering all over as if searching for something. Thranduil tried to soothe him, but nothing seemed to work. A whimper escaped Legolas' lips and suddenly Thranduil was hurrying after the guard.

Glorfindel turned towards the twins. Elladan had Arwen in his arms. She was openly weeping, her face buried in her brother's neck. Elladan and Elrohir looked gravely at Glorfindel. "Go back," he gently pushed Daeron forward, the young elfling still in shock at the sight of his friend so gravely wounded. "Make sure he gets home." He gave the twins a look that said they must be strong in this situation. Both of the twins nodded, knowing they were needed.

Luthin rushed after his father, but Kelderas, with much restraint, held back to command the guards he had sent after any spiders. Glorfindel placed a hand on Kelderas' shoulder and the crown prince turned to look at him. Glorfindel saw the fear in his eyes, but his face was placid, calm. It took centuries of practice to perfect such a face in this sort of situation and suddenly, Kelderas aged a millenium before Glorfindel's eyes. The Gondolin elf smiled, reassuringly, though he knew not what assurance he could give of Legolas' well being.

With a nod, Kelderas accepted the gesture and then disappeared into the trees. Glorfindel made his way back towards the direction in which Thranduil had taken his injured elfling, his shoulders dropped in dejection, knowing that whatever semblance of peace he had found on this visit was now at jeopardy, as well was the life of a very loved little elfling.

* * *

Elrond sat on his balcony, looking out upon the quiet woods that surrounded him. It was peaceful and serene, yet the Lord of Rivendell could find no peace, no calm. There was a great foreboding at the back of his mind. He had at first thought of his children, who were all unfairly apart from him. But in his heart, he knew they were safe. In his heart, he knew that this foreboding was for someone else's child, but a child he would readily admit he treated as his own. It was the great sorrow he felt when he envisioned the youngest prince of Mirkwood that told him Legolas was in danger. A part of him wanted to rush off to Mirkwood at this very moment. But the more logical part of him knew that should he leave now, he would never make it back before the High Pass closed for the winter. That thought was shattering Elrond's heart. He prayed to the Valar that the young prince would pull through without his guidance.

The Lord of Rivendell had almost convinced himself that all would be well. But, when he saw a familiar grey cloaked figure riding swiftly through the gates and into Imladris, that illusion was shattered. Elrond was on his feet and into the courtyard with such swiftness it garnered looks from many of his advisors.

The grey cloaked figure had barely dismounted before Elrond was at his side, a worried look on his face. "I have had a foreboding embedded in the back of my mind for some time now. Your arrival is doing nothing to ease my discomfort," Elrond said, surprising the cloaked figure.

"Well, Peredhil, I am afraid I can do nothing to ease that discomfort but to say you must come with me now," the voice was calm, soothing. Elrond sighed, knowing that there would be no argument.

"Let me ready my horse," Elrond said, turning towards the stables. He paused and looked back towards the figure. "Mae Govannen, by the way, Mithrandir."

A soft chuckle met Elrond's ears and he turned back to ready his horse and tell his advisors that he would be wintering in Mirkwood.

* * *

The room sat in solemn silence save for Calacil's quiet commands to healers and to the worried father who sat by his son's side, gently stroking the feverish head. Glorfindel stood beside Kelderas near the door. Luthin sat at a desk at the far end of the room, trying to scribble a letter to Idrial to tell of the situation. The twins sat in chairs, out of the way, with Arwen still lodged into Elladan's arms. She had stopped crying and was now watching the healers do their work.

Calacil ordered a healer to mix herbs into a tea for a third time. Another healer was washing a cloth in cold water, and Calacil was tending to the spider bite in Legolas' side. It was deep. Calacil had flushed it of the poison as best he could, but now it was a matter of stitching the wound, both internally and externally. He had managed to stop the bleeding, but enough damage had been done. Calacil chanced a glance at Legolas' face, which was still crumpled into a frown of pain. His eyes were moving still beneath their lids, but the young elfling was far from awake. For any other time, Calacil would have been thanking the Valar that Legolas was asleep. Stitching a wound such as his was painful. But now, Calacil wished more than anything for the young elfling to open his eyes. The world of the living was a blessing compared to the nightmare Legolas was surely living. A nightmare induced by a fever that was too high for anyone's liking.

"He is reacting to the poison," Calacil said, looking towards Thranduil, who still looked stricken. The elven king did not say anything, but brushed back some of Legolas' sweat matted hair. "I have given him an anti-venom, but he has a high fever. His body is not reacting well to either." Thranduil nodded, blinking rapidly. Calacil smiled warmly, trying to reassure the elven king. "But the wound is sealed, and the bleeding has stopped." Calacil turned to the healer who was preparing cold cloths. "We must bring down his fever."

The cold cloths were brought closer. Calacil and the other healer began to place them around Legolas' body. One on his neck, another on his forehead. Two went under his arms and more were placed on his feet and behind his knees. But still Legolas' face, though as pale as the snow, was flushed and sweat beaded his cheeks even as the cool cloths were being placed around his body.

"Where is that tea?" Calacil demanded and was answered when a healer put the bowl of tea into his hands. Calacil looked towards Thranduil. "Hold his head up slightly." Thranduil did so, very gently. More gently than he ever thought he'd have to be with his youngest son. Calacil poured some of the tea into Legolas' mouth. The young elfling's face wrinkled even more and he coughed slightly. But Calacil poured more of the tea into his mouth.

A small whimper escaped Legolas' lips. The noise made Luthin throw down his quill. Kelderas let out a small breath before walking over to where his brother sat at the desk, near tears. Kelderas placed a comforting hand on Luthin's shoulder and they continued to watch the process.

When the tea was gone, Calacil dismissed the other healers and stood, looking towards Thranduil. "There is nothing more I can do," he said gently. Thranduil turned wide eyes to his healer. Calacil went on to avoid the grief. "It is up to Legolas' healing abilities now. I will come back in an hour to give him more tea, but I cannot give him more anti-venom, he is reacting violently towards it."

Thranduil nodded and whispered a quiet, "Thank you." Calacil nodded and left. Glorfindel leaned heavily against the wall. Thranduil stared down at the face of his youngest son, of Mirkwood's youngest prince. He stroked his head gently and watched as Legolas' eyes moved rapidly. "You are safe, ion-nin. Ai, my little Greenleaf. You give me no rest."

Glorfindel shifted from his position on the wall and looked towards Elladan and Elrohir. The twins looked back and he dipped his head towards the door, showing that perhaps Thranduil and the princes would want some time alone with their injured elfling. The twins nodded and rose. Arwen nestled her head against Elladan's shoulder, but her eyes didn't leave Legolas' face until they were out the door.

"We should let them have some time alone," Glorfindel whispered quietly as they made their way towards the sitting room. The twins nodded solemnly, Elrohir sighing softly as Elladan reached up to pat Arwen gently on the back.

They were intercepted by a guard, who looked just as grim as the royal family. Glorfindel didn't like the look on his face. "Forgive me, my lord Glorfindel," the guard said and Glorfindel knew that whatever news this guard had would not be pleasant. "I received news from Captain Kabain that a winter storm is coming. If you would like to return to Rivendell before spring, it is suggested that you do it now. The High Pass will be closed soon."

"No!" Arwen suddenly yelled out, surprising them all. She struggled to get down and Elladan placed her on the ground. "No, we cannot leave now."

"Arwen…" Glorfindel didn't get a chance to continue.

"No, Legolas would not leave me if I were the one hurt." Tears formed in her eyes. "He was hurt because of me. I won't leave him. You can go back, but leave me here."

Glorfindel smiled fondly. He kneeled down, looking towards the twins who were smiling slightly, knowingly. "Arwen, first of all, do not blame yourself for what happened to Legolas."

"He pushed me out of the way. It was me who was supposed to be bitten." Arwen cried.

Glorfindel reached out and shook his head. "So you would rather have Legolas crying over you?" Arwen seemed shocked at the notion. She had never seen Legolas cry before. She shook her head. "Just as much, he would not want you crying over him. If he pushed you out of the way, he did it for a reason. He is a very brave elfling and I know that he does not blame you in the least. Is that understood?" Arwen nodded. "Good, now, as much as I know your Adar will not appreciate us wintering in Mirkwood, I know he would not appreciate us leaving Legolas without knowing whether or not he will be well."

"So we are staying?" Arwen asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

"I do not see any other option," Glorfindel said sadly. But Arwen didn't seem to pick up on his sad tone. She squealed, causing the twins to smile warmly at their sister. She raced forward and hugged Glorfindel.

"Oh thank you!" She cried and then pulled away. "I will make sure that Legolas gets better. And I will make sure that when he wakes up, he will not be bored and he will be happy and he will get lots of rest." Arwen turned and ran off towards her room. Glorfindel looked towards the twins, who looked weary.

"There is nothing more we can do today," Glorfindel said to them. "Why don't you two retire for the night."

"I do not think I will be able to sleep," Elladan gave quietly. Glorfindel nodded.

"I never realized that a spider bite was this bad," Elrohir said, gaining the attention of both Glorfindel and his twin. Elladan noticed the stricken look on Elrohir's face and reached out to wrap an arm around his brother.

Glorfindel sighed and said, "They normally are not. But these are new spiders, they are more venomous. Even a full grown elven warrior has trouble healing from their bites."

"So it does not look good for Legolas," Elrohir asked.

"Legolas is stronger than he looks," Glorfindel whispered comfortingly. "Let us not give up on him." The twins nodded. "You two handled yourselves well back there," he decided to try and lighten the mood. The twins looked at him, frowning. "I am sure Thranduil appreciates it."

Elladan chuckled softly, nudging Elrohir. "Brother, dear, I believe Glorfindel is praising us."

Elrohir, after a moment's hesitation, smiled brightly then. "Glorfindel and praise? Two things that hardly ever meet."

Glorfindel grinned then started walking off in the direction of the healing wing. "Get some rest. We will be staying for a while. You will experience a true Mirkwood winter." Glorfindel dreaded thinking about it. Mirkwood winters were not always pleasant. And this one was not starting off so well.

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**Author's Note: **I told you think chapter would be up quick. ;) I'm on a roll.


	8. Arrival

Chapter Eight

Three days ago, the Mirkwood royal family had been at peace. Three days ago, Legolas was laughing, showing off his archery skills, and plotting war with the twins. Three days ago, Glorfindel had gotten a good nights rest. It was amazing how much of a difference three days could make.

Idrial had come immediately after hearing of the ill news that had befallen her youngest brother. She sat quietly in his room, next to his bed. Her soft brown hair flowed down around her shoulders and her green and brown dress was rumpled at the bottom. She looked weary, not having gotten the rest she'd needed after her swift ride home. She'd been with Legolas for the past day and a half and she had no plans of leaving him anytime soon. Currently, she was leaning over her youngest brother's head, stroking his hair gently and singing a soft lullaby to him.

Legolas, though he had been coaxed greatly by the healers, his family, Glorfindel, and the twins, had not woken since he had been stung three days ago. His fever had gone down, though his cheeks were still flushed with heat layered onto his still too pale of skin. His eyes were still closed, and the wound on his side had yet to heal over, something to which caused the Mirkwood healers great distress. They had informed Thranduil that they had done everything they could, but only the touch of a truly great healer could save him now. Thranduil had contemplated on taking his youngest child to Rivendell, but that possibility was almost immediately dispelled when a patrol returned telling them the High Pass had closed for the winter.

Thranduil had retreated to his chambers for the first day, but had not forgotten his role as King and had soon gone back to work, though with only half a heart for the decisions he would have to make. Luthin, when he wasn't in Legolas' room, paced the gardens or nearby woods, trying to find peace. Kelderas busied himself with work, training warriors, and anything he could do to preoccupy his mind until Legolas awoke…or faded away, a thought none of the royal family was willing to accept.

The twins had tried to comfort the royal family as much as they could, but even their spirits were growing dim. They had finally decided to assist their sister in making gifts for Legolas for when he awoke. Arwen had gone to work almost immediately after the incident. She'd made just about everything she could think of to make, from necklaces to arrow fletchings and had even sewed him a new tunic out of material she had obtained from around the palace.

Glorfindel seemed the only one at a loss over what to do. A part of him wanted to stay with Legolas, stay by his bedside should he wake up. But another part of him wanted to join one of the patrols and hunt spiders and orcs. He was once again yearning to feel the thrill of hunting down the darkness in Mirkwood, a yearning he hadn't felt in years. Not since Celebrian had been killed. Eventually, the latter part of him won over and he joined a small scouting party that would stay near to the palace grounds.

Captain Kabain, a captain in Mirkwood's army whom Glorfindel had gotten to know well through his visits to Mirkwood, was among the patrol. The blonde haired warrior was intense and always down to business. Glorfindel was looking forward to scouting with Kabain, he needed something else to concentrate on and he knew the elf captain wouldn't let him break that concentration, not when they were scouting for spiders and orcs.

A little over two hours into their scouting mission, Kabain called for a sudden halt with a mild whistle. Glorfindel, though he could only see two of the twenty some warriors they were traveling with, knew that the others were near by. He had never been able to gain as much stealth as the woodland elves when it came to the trees. Though he could keep up with them well enough, he knew that he could never match them, not even the youngest. He was sure that even Legolas could hide from him in the trees. The thought made Glorfindel cringe. He forced it out of his head, knowing that now was not the time to get distracted.

Suddenly, Kabain was next to him. Glorfindel tried not to startle, but even when he flinched in the slightest, Kabain made no notice of it, to which Glorfindel was thankful. The blonde warrior pointed quietly out in front of them. "Do you see it?" he whispered, almost too quiet for Glorfindel to hear. He looked through the trees. At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. But then, he saw it. The brown mass that was just an off shade of brown as the rest. He nodded to Kabain.

"It's laying a trap," Kabain whispered. "It knows we're coming. If we hadn't been looking for spiders, we would have passed right beneath it without knowing. See how quiet and still it is?"

"Can you not sense it?" Glorfindel asked, turning to look at the captain.

Kabain shook his head. "Not as much as we would like. It is becoming harder and harder to distinguish the darkness of beings and just the normal darkness of the woods itself." The answer distressed Glorfindel for a moment. Normal darkness. That was something he had never heard any of the Mirkwood warriors use. Perhaps they were all starting to realize that Greenwood was long gone, replaced now by this encroaching darkness. "Only the Thranduilians seemed to be tuned enough into the woods to sense little disturbances such as this one spider."

"Thranduil's kin have always been close to the woods," Glorfindel nodded.

Kabain smiled, which surprised Glorfindel a bit. But the captain suddenly looked at him. "Shall we kill this then?"

Glorfindel couldn't help but smile back. "After you."

And with a shrill whistle, the Mirkwood warriors were suddenly in motion. Elves darted out of spots Glorfindel hadn't a clue had been hiding them. The spider, sensing impending doom, made its move as well. It suddenly launched itself, spitting webbing as it did so. The webbing caught one of the warriors off guard, clinging him to a tree. Glorfindel was in motion after that, making his way to the entrapped warrior. It wasn't wise to be immobile when fighting spiders, especially the brown ones.

Just as Glorfindel had cut the warrior lose, the body of the spider came spiraling down behind him. He turned, blade drawn as it landed in the branches next to him. But it was already dead. Kabain dropped down behind it. "There are more," he said coldly, his teeth grit. "A nest."

Glorfindel nodded, patted the newly freed warrior on the shoulder and made his way up the tree behind Kabain. The sudden sounds of screaming and hissing spiders filled their ears. Glorfindel hated the sound, he always had. He turned, blade ready, and just in time. A spider had descended near them. Kabain was already stabbing at its exposed belly. Glorfindel slashed out, slicing of one of the spider's legs. It screamed before Kabain drove his blade into it's head, killing it.

There wasn't time to celebrate as another spider launched webbing in their direction. Both Glorfindel and Kabain jumped out of the way, towards opposite sides. Glorfindel turned towards where the spider had shot out at them. It was descended rapidly, five Mirkwood arrows already in its abdomen. Glorfindel waited, years of training preparing himself for this simple task. The spider opened it's legs wide, ready to ensnare Glorfindel in them, sting him, and drag him home for supper. Glorfindel wouldn't give the foul beast the chance. He brought his blade up, into the spider's belly and, rolling backwards, he brought his feet up for extra strength as he flung the spider off the tree. He watched as it fell through the branches, finally coming to lay on the forest floor with a loud crunch. It twitched for a moment longer before going rigid.

Glorfindel's eyes scanned the immediate area, but he caught no sight of any further spiders, so he chanced a glance towards where Kabain was. The elf captain seemed to be handling himself well, which Glorfindel had expected. Kabain had years of experience killing spiders, he didn't know why he would ever worry about the blonde haired warrior. Kabain slayed the spider he was fighting and then looked towards where Glorfindel stooped upon his branch. The two nodded at each other before climbing further into the fray above them.

In a few short minutes, the screaming and hissing had lessened considerably. Glorfindel's blade and the front of his tunic was stained in black blood. There were only two spiders left, and Glorfindel decided to leave them for the Mirkwood warriors. He began his descent through the trees. He stopped suddenly, midway. A presence made itself known in the back of his mind and he frowned. What were _they _doing here? He made his way hastily down the rest of the tree before standing on a branch lowest to the ground. He leaned against the trunk and waited.

Finally, the riders emerged. They looked weather beaten, with snow on their shoulders. Glorfindel guessed that he looked probably much worse, considering the blood and the wetness of his clothes. The trees had been covered in snow, so no doubt he was probably waterlogged as well. Elrond was the first to see him.

"Glorfindel," he asked, almost surprised. "What are you…"

He didn't get the chance to finish as Mirkwood warriors suddenly dropped down on all sides of them. Elrond didn't look as surprised to see them. Gandalf had a smug grin on his face. Kabain dropped down in front of their horses. "Lord Elrond," he greeted, fist over his heart as he bowed. "Mae govannen." Kabain's eyes moved to Gandalf. "Mithrandir." He said, almost surprised to see the grey wizard.

"We haven't much time to waste," Elrond said. "I must see Thranduil and his son."

Kabain's eyes widened knowingly. "Indeed, we will escort you back."

Glorfindel jumped down, going to walk beside Elrond's horse. The elf lord smiled down at him, but Glorfindel had other things on his mind. "I hear the High Pass is closed. You'll be wintering in Mirkwood. Do you think that is wise?"

"Whether it is wise or not, there are some things that I must do to ensure what is to be," Elrond answered. Glorfindel gave him a look.

"You've traveled too much with Mithrandir, I can see," he mumbled. "Speaking in riddles."

The elf lord and the grey wizard both chuckled. Gandalf shook his head. "Elrond is needed here. Rivendell is safe for the time being. But Thranduil's son, I fear, is not."

"Yes," Glorfindel nodded. "He was bitten by a spider and has not woken since." He frowned suddenly. "As much as I love Legolas, and as much as I know you love him as well, do you think it is worth it to put all of Rivendell at risk? Wouldn't the enemy see this as an opportunity?"

"Rivendell is blessed," Gandalf answer for the elven lord, whose face had taken on a distressed look, confirming Glorfindel's thoughts that Elrond hadn't come all on his own accord. There was still doubt clouding Elrond's eyes. "And we may not know for certain how these events will play out. But one thing I do know for certain, if we lose Legolas Thranduilan now, he will not be all we'll lose."

"Riddles, Gandalf…" Glorfindel said.

"I cannot explain further," Gandalf shook his head. "Just know that I will do everything in my power to ensure Legolas is here when middle earth needs him."

The three were silent, as were the soldiers escorting them home. Kabain had his back to them, but Glorfindel knew the elf captain had heard their conversation. He saw the rigidness of the captains shoulders. But it wasn't out of sadness or fear. It was determination. Glorfindel recognized it from his own tenseness.

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**Review Responses: **

**Gemini969: **I updated, though it was a lot less sooner than I had hoped. :) But I updated! lol.

**Kirsten: **Yeah, Leggy's hurt. And don't worry, he'll be back in the next chapter. I don't think I could handle writing two chapters in a row where Legolas doesn't an appearance, even if he is unconscious. ;)

**Nobody: **Yeah, I'm taking special liberties. :) I sort of played with that a little bit in here, and I know it's really making Legolas a HUGE character by using the reasoning I did in this chapter, but that's how I'm justifying it. There probably will be a lot of inconsistancies in this story because I just want to make things happen that probably would never be able to happen if I followed the strict Tolkien guidelines. I'm glad you're liking the story though! Hehe. That makes me happy.

**Coolio02: **Legolas has a lot to get out of with this one. Don't you just love Leggy angst?

**Arialas: **Yes, there will be more. More of this story and more of other stories. I can't get enough, lol.

**jen: **Why thank you! There wasn't much Legolas in this chapter, but he'll be back for the next one. :)

**Haldir's Heart and Soul: **Well, if you insist that he must live. ;) Ha! I would never kill Legolas, he means to much to me.


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